But despite that, this record has a very different sound, and not just in a more stripped-back sense. Yes, this album is a continuation of TPAB thematically and musically. Kendrick has the capacity to spit charismatically over straight jazz, funk, trap, boom bap, and even latin grooves. The diversity amongst the production showcases this as well. The dynamic ability he has as a rapper is mind-bending. He turns a brooding, trap-influenced instrumental into a journey in a single instant he takes the entire song from 0 to 100. On “Untitled 02,” for example, his intonation can simultaneously recall Future, MF DOOM, and 2Pac. a victory lap is because, although many of the tracks feel lacking in one way or another, it’s still an astounding collection of material that truly shows off every aspect of Lamar’s versatility as an artist. Perhaps the most notable example of this is the variety in his flow across the project’s 8 tracks. Now, he’s given us this project a collection of unreleased (and unmastered, of course) studio demos recorded during the making of TPAB. He supported TPAB with the King Kunta Groove sessions (a live instrumentation show during which he played the entirety of the record), played on numerous talk shows, gave a stunning performance on the Grammy’s, and even dabbled into filmmaking. This most recent album cycle has been drastically different.

He played some tour dates here and there, but for the most part, he focused on recording new music and doing a bit of soul-searching. If you’ll recall, during the actual recording of To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick was mostly silent. I believe the best way to view untitled unmastered. is as a victory lap.

Kenridkc untitled unmastered review